It is common surgical practice for a physician to join various tissues by passing a needle with attached suture through the tissue. The suture is then tied to approximate the tissues. There are several prior art plier-like instruments available for gripping and holding suture needles. A conventional instrument for passing the needle through the tissues is a needle holder which usually has a pair of movable, opposed jaws connected to a pair of handles. The handles in turn have a scissor configuration with a locking ratchet mechanism to maintain gripping pressure on the needle held in the jaws of the needle holder.
Needle holder jaws commonly have a tungsten carbide, serrated surface in a diamond or cross-hatched pattern to enhance the firmness with which the needle is grasped. The ratchet mechanism between the scissor handles is locked as the handles close thereby maintaining firm gripping pressure on the suture needle. Despite this construction, needles are frequently subject to twisting or slipping in the jaws of needle holders as they pass through tissue. Normally the surgeon releases the ratchet mechanism only after the needle has safely passed through the tissue. If during passage of the suture needle, the needle twists or moves off the desired axis of travel, tissue may be torn, needles may be lost, and the operation time prolonged. Twisting movement of a suture needle in the needle holder jaw is a frustrating and dangerous problem which has not been solved by prior art.